-Chapter 62: Station Skirmish-
Location: Gun Platform 267, Sluis Van
"United they stand, divided they fall."
The sound of gunfire was deafening. Whatever sound might've existed in the hangar was drowned out by the raucous clamour of multiple weapons firing all at once. With his arms crossed before his face, Wraith stood his ground as best he could while slug after slug was pumped into him. He could feel every impact, like shockwave after shockwave rolled through him.
The Titans continued their sustained barrage for some time, until Corsair suddenly noted Wraith's unflinching body language and impervious stance. The Titan leader realized that this was not working like last time.
"Hold!" He ordered, raising a hand. The Titans ceased, all of them pausing at once as they questioned what was going on. It was then that Wraith slowly lowered his arms... and chuckled.
"That tickled." He growled. Suddenly flexing quite vigorously, a hail of crushed and crumpled slugs popped free of Wraith's armor and clattered to the ground.
They had been utterly useless against him.
"Huh... that's new." Corsair muttered, shouldering his scatterblaster.
"As are these!" Wraith remarked, snapping up his hands with slugthrowers in hand. He pulled the triggers... but nothing happened.
He pulled again and got only an empty click. It suddenly occurred to Wraith that the firing mechanisms had somehow been fried or disrupted in some fashion, meaning the electrical burst he'd suffered earlier had been thanks to another ion mine. Eyeing his two useless weapons, Wraith muttered, "These usually work."
"Performance issues. Not an uncommon thing." Corsair mused. "Team one! Team two! Get 'im!" He suddenly ordered. The brown-haired Theris, the black-haired Cager and a half-dozen black-clad men apiece charged the super-soldier with weapons raised.
"Close quarters, eh? Now you're speaking my language!" Wraith replied, stowing his weaponry and drawing his blaster pistols, firing off dozens of rounds that took out some of the Titan mercs at the legs, whittling his foes down to half their original number by the time they were close enough to hit him. His pistols disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, just in time for him to raise an arm and block an incoming kick from Theris. Grabbing her leg, Wraith threw her into another Titan, a Bothan, before grabbing an incoming arm as a nameless Trandoshan threw a punch. Wraith punched him in the joint, snapping his arm, and drove his boot into his nearest leg, snapping the knee to an unnatural angle. The Trando cried out in pain but was silenced as Wraith's fist slammed into his snout, shattering teeth and knocking him out cold. A bearded human rushed him next, but Wraith struck first with twin hooks to his ribs, an uppercut to his chin and an elbow strike that caught him across the face. The Titans kept coming and Wraith kept coming, the battle slowly growing.
As they fought, Corsair watched and made a few mental notes.
"New armah... likely made of a new composite... clearly slugproof." He observed, attempting to discern the makeup of Wraith's new look. Cager suddenly drew a sidearm and blasted Wraith right in one of the seams of his chest armor. The super-soldier jolted but, other than a scorch mark, he was just fine. "Blasterproof too, good ta know." Corsair mused. Batting Cager's blaster aside, the super-soldier blocked his incoming baton but failed to block the right punch that nailed his helmet. Shrugging it off, Wraith retaliated with a headbutt, the heavy crunch of metal striking flesh echoing quite loudly. A seemingly unconcerned Corsair continued to watch, reaching for his comms. "Jammah, run a molecular diagnostic scan of the hangah. Gimme a breakdown of whatevah Wraith's wearin'." He told his techie. Anticipating a future response, and knowing he needed to keep Wraith moving, Corsair issued another order. "All a' ya, get on 'im!" The remaining Titans surged around their leader, barrelling towards The Wraith. The super-solider finished knocking down a Selkath when he saw the lumbering Houk brothers coming at him along with dozens of other Titans. His tactical mindset entering overdrive, Wraith determined that, if he were going to take on a whole merc force, he needed to play this smartly.
He needed to pick the battleground this time.
Reaching for his utility belt, Wraith withdrew a pair of explosives and chucked them at the ground.
"Catch me... if you can!" He taunted. A suddenly flash of fire and smoke took the incoming Titans by surprise and they quickly shielded their eyes. By the time they looked around again, The Wraith had vanished, his smokescreen proving effective. Seeing the move, Corsair promptly barked another order.
"Titans, split up! We've scoured these hallways already, lock 'em down and cornah 'im!" His crew moved to obey, one or two sticking around to help the more injured of their comrades. Corsair did too, walking deeper into the hangar.
"Hey boss! You comin'?" Maro asked from an opposite corridor.
"Naw. I'm goin' to the last place he'll go." Corsair responded, his destination already in mind.
The first Titans Wraith ran into were a small group of mixed organics and droids led by the Ardennian Maro that had attempted to corner him. They had sabotaged a set of blast doors that left Wraith with only one option: to face them. Armed with blasters and thirsty for blood, they didn't attack right away but took their time in drawing out the encounter, believing they had the super-soldier dead to rights. With four blasters pistols in hand, Maro was grinning.
"I may have cut you up real good last time, but now? I'm thinkin' I'm gonna enjoy roasting your hide the old fashioned way." He remarked. His teammates chuckled, much larger blaster rifles charged and ready to fire. Wraith took stock of the situation while his sensors swept the hall. These few were no more than a simple irritation, but one that stood in his way nonetheless. His sensors identified the hacked relay that was keeping the blast doors closed, as well as a fuel line that happened to be running through the wall, a portion of the piping exposed.
If all went according to plan, this would be a most effective method of dispersal.
Drawing a pistol, Wraith took aim, his arm extending out towards where the pipe would be between him and the mercenaries. They took note of his aim... and laughed. "Is your helmet on too tight? Or can't you see through those optics? We're over here, moron!" Maro jeered.
"I wasn't aiming for you, monkey." Wraith retorted, his weapon still fixed on the pipe. Maro started to follow his line of sight, and his gaze landed on the fuel line, he started to panic.
"You maniac! Shooting that will kill us all! Not even you could survive that!" The Ardennian shouted. Wraith regarded him with a steely, unflinching gaze, his red optics never moving. It were almost as if he were taking a moment to contemplate the course of action, letting Maro's words sink in. But then he uttered two simple words.
"Watch me."
Pulling the trigger, the red bolt of ignited tibanna gas moved faster than the Titans could react. A flash from the ruptured pipe was followed by a burst of flame which was quickly followed by a massive explosion that filled the corridor, engulfing both the mercenaries and Wraith. The flames persisted for several seconds, a cloud of impenetrable fire and flame filled the corridor from floor to ceiling...
And then the flames parted, and Wraith emerged.
His armour blackened and covered with soot, the heat was maddening and he wished to leave as soon as he could. Stepping over to the blast door, Wraith pried it open through sheer brute strength before muscling his way through, the twin panels slamming shut behin him. He proceeded to brush off his body, patting out a few small flames here and there that persistently clung to his plating. Wiping some spot from his helmet, Wraith shook off the heat as his helmet's internal temperature control systems kicked in, cooling him off.
"Toasty." Was all he had to say.
On the other side of the door, Maro and a couple of his compatriots survived thanks to a hastily placed portable ray shield. The small blue bubble managed to protect Maro, two humans and a droid, the rest of their group decimated by the explosion. The droids has been blown to scrap and the other organics were now nothing more than charred corpses.
"Maro to Corsair, mission foiled. Target got away." The Ardennian reported into his commlink. "Heads up Theris, he might be comin' your way."
The next Titans Wraith encountered were a rejuvenated Theris and the HK droid called 'Hater'. Somehow they'd managed to get in front of him while he was circling around the hangar leading to a sudden meeting within the halls of the platform. Knowing the droid's capabilities very well, Wraith decided the HK model would be his primary target... but didn't discount Theris just yet.
"Step aside." He commanded, staring down the two mercs.
"Not happening." Theris replied, arms crossed. "Hater, roast him!"
"Command confirmed. Engaging 'burnt offering' protocol." Hater responded, taking a few steps forward. Seeing no weapons on the droid, Wraith questioned its ext course of action.
"Roast me? With what?" In response, a cannon swivelled up and over Hater's left shoulder, a small flame being lit at the end. It didn't take long before the super-soldier deduced its function. "Oh, kriff me..." He grumbled, just before a blast of flame was unleashed from Hater's flamethrower, dousing Wraith in intense heat and unrelenting flames. Raising an arm to shield himself offered a brief relief from the heat, the songsteel nature of his armor ensuring a resistance to the flames.
But not to the temperature.
Although he'd already handled one blaze today, Wraith knew that his side it wasn't designed to handle rapid temperature changes. He got lucky with blowing the fuel line, but under a controlled and steady stream of flame, his chances of overcoming this were considerably lower. Under his suit, Wraith could feel a rising, boiling sensation, sweat quickly coating his skin. His armor might not melt, but he just might.
Reaching for his utility belt, he withdrew a pair of shock chips and whipped them towards the ground, sending them skittering across until they halted under Hater. A burst of electricity followed, rippling across the HK unit, sparks erupting from joints as internal circuitry was overloaded and the flamethrower ceased.
"System... Malfunctionnnn-" the droid slurred, slumping over as its photoreceptors darkened. The attack successful, Wraith straightened up. The heat was still there, his body temperature incredibly high thanks to the focused nature of the flames. The internal temperature control functions of his helmet wouldn't kick in soon enough. He needed air, now!
Unlocking his helm, Wraith inhaled deeply as soon as he ripped it off. He wiped a large amount of sweat from his brow, shaking it off the back of his glove.
"Sweet Force," he breathed, "a little toasty." Theris couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as Wraith cast his helmet aside. She could now count herself among the very few people in the universe to have seen Wraith's true face. And, apart from a little redness of the skin, she could conclude... he was kinda good-looking.
But his eyes... they were what captured her attention. There was something about his gaze, the predatory look in them, the burning fervor in his amber hue that she simply couldn't shake. She felt drawn to their primal nature, seeing something in them that she hadn't expected to.
"Well... you're certainly no Gamorrean." She remarked.
"You were expecting some other species?" Wraith retorted. Theris said nothing further and raised her wrist comm making to make a report.
"Theris to command, I-" A throwing blade cut her off, burrowed deep into her device. Her gaze shooting up, Theris saw Wraith's outstretched hand and mentally gave him credit for nailing such a narrow and precise shot.
"Let's keep this between us." He suggested. Removing her ruined device with a calm expression, Theris reached behind her and withdrew a short-sword.
"Your funeral." She remarked, gripping it with both hands. Reaching behind him, Wraith took a hilt in hand, triggering the unfolding katana blade as he levelled it towards the mercenary.
"Been there, done that." He stated. Theris closed the gap between them quickly, not waiting around for any further ceremony. Her hard thrust met a deft parry, downward slice by a horizontal block. Theris was good, Wraith would give her that. But her style was something he recognized. Early in his youth, well before he earned his name, a certain instructor had taught him the same moves she was exercising.
Wraith had critically maimed that instructor one day. He still wasn't sure if they'd lived or not.
Theris' sword cut cleanly through the air, the ringing of metal on metal resounding in the hall shortly afterwards as Wraith parried once more. Theris soon realized he was not attempting to go on the offensive, but simply letting her make every move so he could meet it.
He was trying to learn how she fought.
She threw him off by turning a whirling strike into a thrown blade, Wraith dodging just in time as the blade nicked his shoulder armor, spun off and was embedded in the floor behind him. Theris continued her assault with a leaping punch that bounced off Wraith's armoured arm. He forced her back with a push kick, creating some distance between them. Seeing her weaponless, Wraith stick his katana in the floor and advanced without it. Raising her fists, Theris was ready to continue this in unarmed combat. Noting this, Wraith assumed a stance as well.
A stance Theris recognized.
"Echani isn't exactly a powerful martial art." She commented, swiftly executing a lunge kick. Wraith bent over backwards to avoid her. He straightened up just in time to block an elbow strike from Theris, then another. Then she tried to execute a reverse backflip-kick, only for Wraith to catch her feet, turn and throw her into the ground.
"Neither is Marev be Kad Ha'rangir," he observed. Theris' eyes momentarily widened before her gaze narrowed and she leapt to her feet. Wraith struck with a wild haymaker, one she dodged and retaliated with a palm strike to his side. Thankfully, his body was fully encased by his armor and her blow simply bounced off the songsteel plating. Wraith tried to execute a chop next, only for Theris to grab his arm and throw him over her shoulder. Wraith went with it and rolled to his feet, whirling around in time to see Theris attempt a kick aimed for his head. He grabbed her leg and, pushing hard against her body, slammed her into the ground, "nor is Ara be Hod Ha'ran, it would seem." He said again. Although thoroughly surprised, Theris refused to let it show and rolled out of his grip, returning to a stance.
Wraith might never know her name, but her very moves had given away her identity.
Theris executed a spin-jump hook kick, Wraith ducking low so her leg sailed over his head. Snapping out his arm and grabbing the recovering mercenary by the throat, he spun and slammed her into the nearest wall. "You're a Mandalorian." He stated.
"What do you want? A medal?" Theris choked out, grasping at his arm. "Unless you're blind, I don't wear Mando armor."
"Which intrigues me." Wraith mused. "I thought you Mandos were all about society."
"I have other reasons for leaving it behind." Theris answered. She continued to try and break free of Wraith's hold on her. But her own arm strength was not enough to do the trick.
"Why side with the Titans?" Wraith inquired. "Your skills could be used in better places of employment."
They promised a lot of credits." She responded. "Figured my skill sets could come in handy."
"Have they?"
"You're about to find out." With that, Theris locked her legs around Wraith's arm and managed to execute a twist, flipping the super-soldier head over heels and landing him flat on his back. The move shook Wraith and freed his hand from around her throat. With her legs still locked around his arm, Theris attempted to reef on them and either dislocate it or snap the bone. Sensing her intentions, Wraith flexed his muscles, limb going taut as the Mando struggled to pull. Then, summing his incredible strength, Wraith rolled over, pulling Theris with him, and smashed her into the ground. Stunned, Theris' grip loosened just enough to let Wraith slip his arm out and pounce on the mercenary, quickly wrapping one arm around her neck and forcing her into a stranglehold, keeping her trapped on the ground. Theris thrashed about, struggling violently, trying to drive an elbow into his side. But her efforts were only met with further resistance, Wraith tightening his hold even further. The Mando could feel herself losing consciousness, her airway restricted and cutting off oxygen to her brain.
"Not... bad..." She managed, blackness slowly overtaking her vision. All her training had proven useless against him, The Wraith really was a force to be reckoned when they didn't have the advantage. Her movements grew slower and more sluggish, Theris losing energy until she finally passed out, going limp in Wraith's hold. Satisfied that the Mando was no longer a threat, Wraith released his grip and let the limp Theris go and fall to the ground. Taking a few deep breaths as the adrenaline died down, Wraith gave a slow shake of his head.
"Not bad yourself." He mused, slowly pushing himself to his feet. "Now... where's my helmet...?"
The next group of Titans Wraith encountered were the Houks; Block and Stock. In the middle of darting down a hallway, Wraith found his way completely blocked by one Houk before his only escape was cut off by another. Clad in their trademark power armor, the two brothers were so big and wide they seemed to barely fit in the hallway. There was no way Wraith was getting around either of them without a fight.
"I'm feelin' real hungry, bro." Block rumbled, a grin growing across his face.
"Oh yeah? Whatcha feel like eatin'?" Stock wondered as he advanced on Wraith.
"How 'bout a Separatist sandwich!" Block suggested, pounding his knuckledusters together. Stock agreed with a grin of his own and the two charged. Wraith squared his shoulders and rocked on the balls of his feet, waiting for just the right moment. As the two Houks reared back to strike, Wraith sprung up, backflipping over their limbs as they each launched a massive punch that struck each other instead of The Wraith. Springing from wall to floor, Wraith bounced up with his own fist reared back.
"Here, chew on my knuckles instead!" He shouted, clubbing Block across the face with a heavy haymaker. The Houk's head snapped to the side as Wraith blew past, the brute staggered.
"Oooo! He got ya there, bro." Stock mused, rubbing the dent where his brother's fist had landed. Wraith rolled to a halt several feet behind him.
"You and your fancy armor think you're so tough? You look downright stupid in that getup!" An irritated Block grumbled as he turned and charged Wraith again.
"Thanks for noticing." The super-soldier growled. As soon as Block was near enough, Wraith triggered another little gizmo Scipio had installed.
A pair of flames sprouted from the soles of his boots as the built-in jump jets kicked in, powering Wraith forward and driving his rocket-powered knee straight into the Houk's chin. Block was laid out on his back, Wraith vaulting over his body as Stock came charging at him next. The super-soldier quickly ducked and dodged each heavy punch meant for him, vaulting and diving around each one. The Houk's swings were slow and lumbering, impeded by the narrow corridor and his heavy armor. Stock attempted to crush Wraith with both fists, but his knuckledusters crashed into the floor, the super-soldier somersaulting just out of reach. Scaling his arms with incredible nimbleness, Wraith executed a crescent kick that caught him on the jaw, knocking the Houk onto his back. But before he could celebrate his triumph, Block came in from behind his brother and issued a backhand that threw Wraith into the nearest wall, creating a sizeable body-sized dent. As he hit the ground, Wraith ducked just as Block's fist sank into the wall, narrowly missing his head. He retaliated with quick hits aimed for the Houk's side and joints. But the heavy armor and thick skin managed to reduce their effectiveness.
"He's not going down so easily this time!" Block observed, launching another wild swing that Wraith dodged.
"Then we'll hafta fix that!" Stock bellowed as he jumped out form behind his brother and swung his arm in a wide, heavy blow that clocked Wraith across the helmet. The staggered super-soldier was too rattled to avoid Block's incoming swing, the heavy knuckleduster crashing into his chest with tremendous force and sending him flying down the hall. Skittering across the floor, and kicking up a few sparks, Wraith slid to a halt and pulled himself to his feet, groaning as he did. That hit guaranteed him a few bruises, maybe even a broken rib or two.
But the thunderous sounds of the Houks' footsteps drew his attention back down the hall as the two brothers charged after him. He could run, but they would just pursue. He needed an alternative.
Drawing his pistol, Wraith fired a few scattered shots at the armored brothers, his rounds pinging off their power armor. It earned him a sadistic grin from Block, the Houk ready to take another round out of him.
Little did he and his brother realize that Wraith was thinking.
Having spied a divide in the walls, as well as a nearby control panel, Wraith made a few mental calculations as the Houks bore down on him. At the last second, Wraith shot the nearby blastdoor controls, forcing the roof-mounted panel to instantly come crashing down on the Houks. The brothers quickly tried to recover, straining to hold the door up and off of them. Their combined strength was impressive, enough to keep the door from slamming shut. But the hydraulics were just as strong, forcing the Houks to give it their all.
They were at an impasse.
Satisfied, Wraith twirled his pistol around and holstered it, watching the Houks struggle to win against the door. Turning on heel, he left them to it and continued down the hall.
"If you can't beat 'em... keep 'em busy." He mused.
Rounding yet another corridor, Wraiht found himself face to face with another crew of mixed organic and droid Titans. Slowly shaking his head, Wraith stood his ground. His fight with the Houks had taken the wind out of him, and he was feeling fed-up with these mercs. He wanted to deal with them quickly.
"Look alive, boys! Time to bag this kriffer!" A bearded human at the front stated, a pair of blaster pistols in hand. Seeing a large viewport to their right, Wraith quickly developed a plan.
"Your allies have fallen before me. What makes you think you stand a chance?"
"Because I'm not them." The human retorted, aiming his pistols. With a sigh, Wraith tapped his feet against the ground, a red light appearing on both of his boots.
"What's that? A little pre-fight dance?" One of the organics wondered with a jeering grin.
"No. Just my gription clamps." Wraith replied. Suddenly whipping two explosive disks towards the nearest transparisteel viewport. They detonate seconds later, obliterating the viewport and started immediately venting atmosphere. The decompression was so quick and sudden that none of the Titans had time to react and were immediately sucked out into the vacuum of space. Wraith braced himself, the magnetic clamps on his boots rooting him to the floor, but he could feel the intense pull of the decompression suction trying to pull him out into space as well. But the station's emergency lockout systems responded and sealed the leak before that could happen. Releasing a satisfied breath, Wraith dusted off his armor and continued on down the hall.
"That was easy."
A pink-skinned Theelin opened the blastdoors to discover an awake but weakened Theris and a Hater who was still offline.
"Corsair, I found Theris." She reported into a wrist comm.
"Any sign a' Hatah?" Came the reply.
"He's slumped over, offline. Looks like I have to fix this stupid clanker again." She grumbled, examining the droid.
"That's why yor paid the best, Toolie." Corsair replied. "How 'bout Theris?"
"Right here." Toolie replied, stooping down to grab the Mando. "Come here you. Boss wants to talk." She said, forcefully helping Theris to her feet. The Mando stumbled, staggering over to the wall to find her balance.
"I'm not all there yet, you graceless strill." She retorted, glaring at the Theelin.
"Whatever." Toolie muttered with a roll of her eyes, passing off her commlink to Theris.
"Boss, I'm here." Theris stated between heavy breaths.
"Where's Wraith?"
"He put me under and moved on. Not sure where." She answered.
"Copy that. Get yorself togethah and git back to tha hangah." Corsair ordered. "I think I know where 'e's headed next."
With four Titan ambushes dealt with, Wraith was more than ready to leave this station. But that would require he get back to his shuttle, which was currently in the Titan-infested hangar. With his comms jammed so long as he was within the station's walls, Wraith surmised that the only way to deal with this, and effectively deal with the Titans, would be to call in some reinforcements. And he had an idea just how to do that.
The gun platform came equipped with a small array of escape pods for crew members of importance and for any organics on might also be part of the crew. Using one of those to get him further away from the equipment jamming his comms, Wraith could put out a signal that would summon the Separatist fleet and give him a permenant edge over these mercenaries.
He was heading to that level now, warily watching his scanners for any more ambushes. But as he rounded a corner and faced a curving corridor, Wraith found himself before something a lot calmer and more collected than all the previous attacks. No grouping, no pairs, just one short man smoking a cigarra.
It was Corsair.
"Didja really think I'd let ya go that easily, boyo?" The merc wondered as Wraith came to a halt. Turning around, Corsair removed his cigarra and blew a cloud of smoke. "Ya plow through my men, cost me a few thousand in damages and think ya can jus' leave?" He continued. "Naw. That ain't how this works."
"Move or you will be moved." Wraith threatened. Corsair chuckled.
"Yor not the first one ta make the mistake of crossin' me." He responded. "An' jus' like them, boyo, yor gonna hafta learn that lesson the hard way."
"What makes you think you're so much better?" Wraith demanded. "I've killed hundreds, maybe even thousands by now."
"Real simple, actually. I've been around a lot longa than you have. What ya've got in youth and skill, I've got in experience and cunning. There ain't nothin' ya can do that I ain't seen before." Corsair answered. "That's all there is, boyo."
"Stop calling me that!"
"What's wrong? Daddy issues?" Corsair wondered with a smirk.
"You'd make a terrible father." Wraith spat, cracking his knuckles.
"And I highly doubt any man would proudly claim ya as their son." Corsair retorted, rolling his shoulders. "But, come on, let's get this thing goin'!" He stated, flicking the butt of his cigarra away and raising his fists. Wraith could've simply shot him right there, ended Corsair's every attempt to stop him.
But instead, he too put up his fists and got ready to fight.
Unlike all the previous Titans, Corsair started circling Wraith instead of rushing him. His skill already evident, Wraith mirrored his moves. But after only a few seconds of circling, Wraith lunged.
Corsair was quick to counter each blow and retaliate with hard body-shots. The merc leader clearly practiced a fighting style, but one that was unknown to Wraith. It combined aspects of brawling and high-impact combat with a kind of martial art that focused on the body's core. As the slugfest wore on, Wraith was repeatedly thrown into walls and the floor, Corsair appearing to really specialize in grapples and really getting up close and personal with his opponent. Wraith took the hits in stride, his armor more than capable of handling such impacts. As he did, he read Corsair's movements and attack patterns, retaliating when able and striking where he had an opportunity. Corsair soon proved himself a very capable combatant as he parried and blocked Wraith's punches and kicks, able to read the super-soldier very well.
The fight seemed to be an even match.
Two crosses from Wraith were blocked by Corsair's arms, a knee strike driven into Wraith's torso armor. A quick punch snapped his helmet to the side, but the follow-up was caught by one hand. Wraith's kick was caught by Corsair's free arm but he used the hold to leap up and execute a roundhouse kick that caught Corsair on the jaw, sending the merc spinning. Springing to his feet, Wraith leaped forward with a lunging punch that smashed into the Titan leader's head, throwing him back. Wraith then drew his arms back, locked his fists together, and executed a rising uppercut that clubbed Corsair in the chin. A double-axehandle then nailed him on the head, stunning the Titan leader just long enough for Wraith to grab him by the throat. His hands wrapping tightly around Corsair's neck, Wraith forced the Titan leader to his knees.
"Now, I'll finally be rid of you." He growled, choking him out. "In the end, when I'm in my element, no one can stop me. No Jedi, no Clone, and certainly no scumbag mercenary." He felt confident in his victory. When dirty and underhanded tactics weren't in play, The Wraith would overcome all. He had Corsair right where he wanted him. No Jedi could ever match his strength and certainly no Clone. His was twice that of any species, no standard-issue mercenary would escape this.
And then Corsair took hold of his forearms. He started to pull, getting a good grip. Wraith thought nothing of it, but soon did when, ever so slowly, Corsair started to pry his hands away from his neck. Wraith struggled to maintain his hold but Corsair was able to push his arms out until his hands were free.
Corsair was proving to be just as strong as him!
Executing a quick headbutt, Corsair knocked Wraith away. The super-soldier stumbled but recovered quickly, pausing to view the recovering merc through eyes wide with disbelief.
No one had ever broken his grip before.
"Now then," Corsair mused, rubbing his neck, "where were we?"
"What are you?" Wraith demanded, ready for a prolonged fight.
"Me? I'm yor worst nightmare, mate." Corsair replied, sporting a cocky grin. "An' that ain't braggin', that's tha truth." Feeling emboldened to fight on and prove himself superior, Wraith layed into Corsair with heavy blows aimed directly for the merc's head. His style slowly became predictable, Corsair quickly able to block and dodge each one. "Fightin' rough, boyo. Somethin' buggin' ya?" Corsair teased.
"You may have caught me off guard here, but I'll always be tough enough to come back and take down you and your ragtag circus clowns." Wraith stated.
"So ya fancy yorself a tough ol' sod, do ya?" Corsair mused, ducking a right cross and stopping a left. "Of course, if I measahed my worth in the mount a' Clone blood spilt, I'd think I was tough too."
"Tough enough to kill the likes of you." Wraith growled, reeling himself back and getting ready to direct a proper strike. Corsair smirked.
"Now yer talkin' like a Clone." He remarked. That proved to incite Wraith even further and, with a growl, the super-soldier laid into Corsair with wide, wild swings that were very easy to block and dodge. His blows were fuelled by anger, and Wraith was getting sloppy as a result. Corsair took advantage of this and executed a leg sweep, putting Wraith flat on his back. The super-soldier glanced up to see Corsair raise a leg over him, a blade sliding out of his boot. Rolling away, the blade puncturing the floor, Wraith got up and then promptly launched himself across the floor, tackling Corsair and breaking the blade clean off. Pouncing on the fallen Titan, Wraith gripped Corsair by the neck once more. But this time, the merc leader rolled them back, flipping their positions, before picking Wraith up and executing a powerbomb that drove him hard into the ground. His armor proved tougher, though, and Wraith promptly kicked Corsair off of him. Leaping to his feet, the super-soldier charged Corsair. The merc promptly grabbed his incoming fist before Wraith grabbed his, the two of them coming to a stalemate. Their muscles taught, they put every ounce of physical force into the clash as they could. Practically nose to nose, Wraith could see the gritty determination in Corsair's good eye, the merc clearly a hardened man with nothing to lose. Corsair, on the other hand, saw only red, inhuman optics, which only served to convince him that Wraith was nothing more than a monster...
And a big, fat paycheque waiting to happen.
Eye to eye, Corsair took advantage of their close proximity and promptly spat in one of Wraith's optics, momentarily blinding the super-soldier and allowing Corsair to land yet another headbutt. The force of the impact was enough to push Wraith back a few steps and he wiped the spittle from his optic.
"Dirty." He muttered. But Corsair heard him.
"Dirty? Naw mate," he said with a smirk, "this is dirty." His hands grabbing his shoulders, Corsair's knee was promptly driven right into Wraith's groin. The super-soldier lurched, sputtered a cough and promptly doubled over, clutching the source of his unbearable pain. "Someone's gonna need some bacta on their plums!" Corsair cackled.
"Yep... I'll give you that one..." Wraith admitted in a very high-pitched voice. "That was dirty..." He needed to tell Scipio to install a codpiece of some kind.
"Ha ha! See, mate? I know what I'm doin'." Corsair casually remarked. "But as much as I'm enjoyin' my fun, I like gettin' paid a lot mor'." Reaching behind him, Corsair produced a box with two prongs sticking out of it. Suddenly jamming the prongs into Wraith's neck, Corsair flipped a switch and stood back. At first, Wraith felt nothing more than a pricking pain. Then a sharp crackle of electricity radiated from the device...
And the most unbearable pain flooded every one of his senses.
Growling fiercely, Wraith suddenly forgot about the pain in his groin as his whole body was wracked by a sensation that was infinitely worse. His muscles spasmed uncontrollably, limbs twitching as Wraith lost his focus. "That device sends a current through yor body, triggering every single pain receptah ya've got." Corsair explained, clearly smug and in the mood to gloat. "I've heard it hurts... a lot." Wraith bit back any further sounds from his mouth as he tried to concentrate and overcome this.
But not even he was immune to pain and he soon let loose a deafening scream as he succumbed to the pain. Corsair simply chuckled and crossed his arms. "Music to my ears..." Wraith scream lasted for several seconds until the device finally shut off and fell to the floor. His entire body going limp, Wraith hit the ground like a wet sack of vegetables, his body completely numb and his limbs unresponsive. "Yor all too easy mate. Reminds me of my youngah days, when I was clubbin' baby Ewoks. Didn't put up much of a fight, but it was a helluva lot a' fun." Wraith couldn't muster a retort, but did have to wonder what kind of monster clubbed baby Ewoks...
Fetching his scatterblaster from where he'd stashed it, Corsair cocked his weapon and stood tall over the downed Wraith. Eyeing the defeated super-soldier, the Titan leader had a feeling he and his crew would be getting paid very handsomely very soon.
Still, he couldn't resist one last barb.
"You may think yor all special an' unique... but did it evah occur ta you that ya might not be the only one?" He said. That grabbed Wraith's attention, the super-soldier weakly looking up.
"Wh-What... are you... talking... about?" He rasped.
"I've got one word for ya: Sunfire." Corsair answered. "You'd do well to remembah it... if I let ya live so long." He added, levelling his weapon at him. "After all, yor in no condition ta move, ya can't even think straight, what in tha universe are ya gonna do now?" While he spoke, Wraith managed to spot a very familiar looking panel off to the side and his pain-addled mind managed to form a quick plan. His optics locking with Corsair's gaze, Wraith uttered,
"Improvise." Summoning the last of his strength, he whipped a throwing knife at the panel and pierced it with a shower of sparks. The blastdoor above came crashing down between mercenary and super-soldier, cutting the end of Corsair's scatterblaster clean off.
"Aw, bloody hell! Not Meline!" He exclaimed, recoiling with his halved weapon in hand. "Now it's personal!" He growled, starting to beat on the door. On the other side, Wraith breathed a sigh as he finally put some distance between him and Corsair. The pain he'd just endured would've been enough to kill the average man.
But Wraith was far from average.
Spying his intended destination, the entrance to an escape pod, Wraith proceeded to start crawling.
Corsair attempted to rig the access panel, but the wiring had short-circuited and the knife had done too much damage for him alone to fix. Cursing Wraith's luck, Corsair looked out a nearby viewport just in time to see an escape pod from the other side launch into the void of space. "Kriffah's smart, I'll give 'im that." He mused, switching on his wrist comm. "Linah! There's an escape pod that jus' launched. Bring tha ship around and pick it up." He ordered.
"Copy that, boss!" His female pilot replied. Switching frequencies, Corsair then put out a general broadcast.
"Titans, if ya can hear me, meet up back at tha hangah."
Lying on the floor of the escape pod, Wraith cued his own comms as well.
"Doc, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, my boy. Are you alright? You sound out of breath." Scipio replied.
"The gun platform was a trap. Those mercenaries the Republic hired were waiting for me." Wraith revealed.
"Oh my! Are you alright?"
"Mostly. The armor works pretty well. But I need a pickup and fast. I'm in an escape pod floating outside, can you hurry here before these mercs find me?"
"I'm already moving, my boy!" Scipio exclaimed from the other end. "Just sit tight, the Dominance is close by so it should only take me a few minutes." He reassured.
"That might be all the time we have." Wraith grimly muttered.
Later...
Just as Corsair was approaching the hangar entrance, he got a call from Liner.
"Bad news boss, I just picked up a Sheathipede shuttle leaving with the escape pod. My guess is the super-soldier was able to use the comms." She reported.
"Or 'e's got friends nearby." Corsair mused, taking the information in stride. "Thanks Seraj, head back to tha hangah an' pick us up." He ordered, shutting down the comms. Now mildly frustrated by yet another setback, Corsair entered the hangar and immediately spied most of the Titans grouped over by Wraith's now-abandoned shuttle. Doing a quick headcount, he realized he was missing a few. The Titans turned to their leader as he approached, waiting for his word. "Give me a status update." Corsair stated.
"It's just the four of us now." Maro said, gesturing to those of his team that had survived. "The rest were incinerated when he ignited a fuel line."
"We're still good." Block chimed in. "A little sore,"
"But in one piece." Stock finished.
"No word from Hagge's team. I'm pretty sure we can guess what happened." Theris stated.
"An' you?" Corsair wondered.
"I'm fine now. Toolie's doing some work on Hater." Theris responded. "What about you, sir?"
"Tha little kriffah managed ta put some distance 'tween us, even aftah I let 'im sample my pain box." Corsair reported. The Titans shared stunned glances. Corsair's little gizmo was usually enough to either subdue or kill any man. Who was Wraith that he could overcome even that?
"So he escaped?" Theris asked. Corsair nodded. "Dammit." She sighed.
"'S alright, luv. We'll get 'im." Corsair reassured her. "Matter o' fact, I got jus' the plan in store." He said with a cunning gleam in his eye. But the Titans didn't share his optimism, exchanging questioning looks amongst themselves.
"Sir, all due respect, but we. Are. Failing." Theris interjected. "We have a reputation that is being tarnished. The Republic is paying us for a captured Wraith, not another failed attempt! If we keep going back empty-handed, this contract will be dead in no time!" She emphatically stated. The other Titans nodded and quietly murmured their agreement.
Corsair simply crossed his arms and sighed.
"Why am I the only one a' this lot that's forwahd thinkin'?" He wondered. At that moment, Jammer, the Titans Twi'lek communications expert, appeared and made his way to Corsair's side.
"Circaa boss, leha data nu anu." He said, passing him a datapad. Corsair took it, looked the information over... and smirked.
"Ah yeah. This'll do," he mused before looking up at his crew, "someone get tha Republic on comms... and ask 'em how much for the location of a certain cruisah called 'the Dominance'."
